Fault isolation and service restoration in an electric grid

ABSTRACT

Fault isolation and service restoration in an electrical grid are provided. An approach for receiving a notification message including a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid, and determining, by a computing system, a command message including at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component, is described. The approach further includes sending the command message to at least one of the electrical component and other electrical components on the electrical grid.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to fault isolation in anelectric grid, and more particularly, to a system and a method fordecentralized and centralized fault isolation and service restoration inan electrical grid.

BACKGROUND

An electrical grid is an interconnected network for deliveringelectricity from suppliers to consumers. More specifically, theelectrical grid is a vast, interconnected network of transmission lines,starting from a supplier of electricity to a consumer of theelectricity. The consumer may be, for example, a personal consumer or anindustrial consumer.

It has become increasingly important to manage the electrical grid, inorder to more efficiently distribute electricity in an environmentallyfriendly manner. For example, the electrical grid has started to beconnected to low or zero emission sources such as, e.g., windmills,hydropower plants and solar panels. In another example, electricitysuppliers are providing discounted fees for off-peak electricityconsumption, e.g., providing cost incentives to consumers for thoseusing their appliances during off-peak times.

Also, it has become more vital to manage the electrical grid todistribute electricity in a more efficient manner. Electricity suppliersmust often monitor their electrical grids for downed power lines toprevent such problems from disrupting electricity supply throughout thegrids. For example, natural disasters or incidents, such as a treefalling on a power distribution line, may generate transient orsustained electrical faults in the electrical grid, thus causingtemporary local or wide-area power outages. In order to provide reliablepower, electricity suppliers must be able to detect such electricalfaults.

However, electricity suppliers are often not provided with enoughinformation regarding the electrical grid to effectively monitor thegrid during power outages, peak demand times, etc. For example, naturaldisasters or incidents that generate electrical faults may preventsuppliers from deploying field crews to analyze electrical devices onthe electrical grid. In addition, even if the electricity suppliers areprovided information regarding electrical devices, the suppliers may notbe able to react and control the electrical faults in time to preventfurther power outages.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the invention, a method includes receiving anotification message including a state of an electrical component on anelectrical grid, and determining, by a computing system, a commandmessage including at least one action to take in response to the stateof the electrical component. The method also includes sending thecommand message to at least one of the electrical component and otherelectrical components on the electrical grid.

In another aspect of the invention, a system is implemented in hardwarewhich includes a computer infrastructure operable to receive anotification message of an electrical device on an electrical grid, thenotification message including a status of the electrical device. Thecomputer infrastructure is further operable to predict an electricalfault of the electrical device based on a set of rules related to theelectrical device and the notification message. The computerinfrastructure is also operable to send a command action to at least oneof the electrical device and other electrical components in response tothe predicted electrical fault, the command action including correctiveaction to reroute electricity in an electrical path, by passing thepredicted electrical fault.

In an additional aspect of the invention, a computer program productincludes a computer usable storage medium having readable program codeembodied in the storage medium. The computer program product includes atleast one component operable to receive a notification message includinga state of an electrical component on an electrical grid. The at leastone component is further operable to determine a command messageincluding at least one action to take in response to the state of theelectrical component, and send the command message to at least one ofthe electrical component and other electrical components on theelectrical grid.

In a further aspect of the invention, a method for decentralized andcentralized fault isolation and service restoration in an electricalgrid, including providing a computer infrastructure, being operable tosend a register message to register in a network, and record anelectrical event at a location on the electrical grid. The computerinfrastructure is further operable to send a notification messageincluding presence information of the electrical event, through thenetwork to a presence server, and receive a command message including atleast one action to take in response to the electrical event. Thecomputer infrastructure is further operable to perform the at least oneaction to take.

In another aspect of the invention, a computer system for decentralizedand centralized fault isolation and service restoration in an electricalgrid includes a CPU, a computer readable memory and a computer readablestorage media. First program instructions receive a notification messageincluding a state of an electrical component on the electrical grid.Second program instructions determine a command message including atleast one action to take in response to the state of the electricalcomponent. Third program instructions send the command message to atleast one of the electrical component and other electrical components onthe electrical grid to reconfigure the electrical grid to bypass thefault isolation. The electrical component and the other electricalcomponents are reconfigured based on the command message by performingthe at least one action to take in response to the state of theelectrical component. The first, second, and third program instructionsare stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by theCPU via the computer readable memory.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention is described in the detailed description whichfollows, in reference to the noted plurality of drawings by way ofnon-limiting examples of exemplary embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment of a server and/or a computingdevice for implementing steps in accordance with aspects of theinvention;

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative environment for implementing the steps inaccordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative environment of a presence server forimplementing steps in accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative environment of an electrical grid forimplementing steps in accordance with aspects of the invention;

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary flow for decentralized and centralized faultisolation and service restoration in an electrical grid in accordancewith aspects of the invention;

FIGS. 6-9 show exemplary flows for provisioning a system fordecentralized and centralized fault isolation and service restoration inan electrical grid in accordance with aspects of the invention; and

FIGS. 10-12 show additional exemplary flows for decentralized andcentralized fault isolation and service restoration in an electricalgrid in accordance with aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention generally relates to fault isolation in anelectrical grid, and more particularly, to a system and a method fordecentralized and centralized fault isolation and service restoration inan electrical grid. In embodiments, the present invention providescommunication and monitoring capability of the electrical grid to moreeffectively manage the electrical grid as it becomes ever more complexto manage. For example, to manage the many different demands on theelectrical grid and to ensure that the electrical grid is working mostefficiently, the present invention provides an Internet Protocol (IP)backplane with the traditional electrical grid so to allow efficientcommunication between a utility (e.g., service provider, electricitysupplier, etc.) and electrical devices on the electrical grid.

More specifically, the present invention provides Session InitiationProtocol (SIP) as a low-latency, scalable communication protocol used bythe electrical grid, particularly, between the electrical device and theutility or electricity supplier. Further, the present invention providesa presence server in a utility domain or in a telecommunications domain.The presence server allows authorized entities, such as the utility(e.g., service provider, electricity supplier, etc.), a network serviceprovider, and/or an individual user, to subscribe to status informationof the electrical device. This allows such entities to receive therecorded status information of the electrical device which, in turn,allows the entities to interact with the electrical grid. This canprovide location information, as well as other pertinent information(e.g., electrical failures, status information), to those individualsthat are servicing and/or monitoring the electrical grid. This, in turn,allows the supplier of electricity (e.g., the utility or other serviceprovider) to manage and monitor the electrical grid and thereby moreefficiently and effectively control and maintain the electrical deviceson the electrical grid. For example, by receiving information directlyfrom the electrical grid, it is now possible to detect electrical faultsor abnormal conditions directly from the electrical devices. Forexample, the supplier of electricity (e.g., service provider) can nowmonitor the electrical grid using an IP backplane in order toeffectively isolate the electrical faults or abnormal conditions ofdevices in the electrical grid.

In more specific embodiments, the IP backplane can notify a utilitymanager at the control center of an electricity supplier that an issueexists on the electrical grid, for example, at one of the electricaldevices on the electrical grid. This information can be granular to theextent and location of any issue. In turn, the utility manager can sendto the problematic electrical device (and/or nearby electrical devices)a SIP-based command message that instructs the electrical device toexecute a reconfiguration of the electrical device. This SIP-basedcommand message may allow the electrical device to be isolated on theelectrical grid. Once the issue is isolated, the utility manager mayanalyze the electrical devices on the electrical grid to determine aswitching plan for the electrical devices that would restore powerservice to as many customers as possible. For example, the utilitymanager may send to the electrical device(s) additional SIP-basedcommand messages that instruct the electrical device(s) to turn on oroff, such that power is rerouted away from the problematic electricaldevice and is restored to customers who may have lost power.

Advantageously, the present invention provides utilities additionalinformation (e.g., the voltage and/or the current) of electrical devicesvia remote, on-demand notifications from the electrical devices. Inaddition, the present invention provides more remote control of theelectrical devices to the utilities to isolate electrical faults on theelectrical grid and subsequently restore services. The present inventionallows fault isolation and service restoration to be achieved in acentralized approach (e.g., at the utilities and their control centers)or in a decentralized approach (e.g., at locations within the electricalgrid). The present invention also allows fault isolation to be achievedreactively (e.g., in response to a detected electrical fault) and/orproactively (e.g., before a predicted electrical fault occurs), furtherincreasing the reliability of the electrical grid. The present inventionallows the utility to obtain more accurate, real-time information ofelectrical patterns across the electrical grid. By utilizingtelecommunications technology and the Mobile Web, the electrical grid isfully-integrated with and connected to the Internet and can be managedto a more granular level.

System Environment

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presentinvention may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct. Accordingly, aspects of the present invention may take the formof an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment(including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may allgenerally be referred to herein as a “circuit,” “module” or “system.”Furthermore, aspects of the present invention may take the form of acomputer program product embodied in one or more computer readablemedium(s) having computer readable program code embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber,a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storagedevice, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. In the context of this document, a computer readable storagemedium may be any tangible medium that can contain, or store a programfor use by or in connection with an instruction execution system,apparatus, or device.

A computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signalwith computer readable program code embodied therein, for example, inbaseband or as part of a carrier wave. Such a propagated signal may takeany of a variety of forms, including, but not limited to,electro-magnetic, optical, or any suitable combination thereof. Acomputer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium thatis not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate,propagate, or transport a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing.

Computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of thepresent invention may be written in any combination of one or moreprogramming languages, including an object oriented programming languagesuch as Java, Smalltalk, C++ or the like and conventional proceduralprogramming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similarprogramming languages. The program code may execute entirely on theuser's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remotecomputer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latterscenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computerthrough any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or awide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an externalcomputer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet ServiceProvider).

Aspects of the present invention are described below with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer program instructions. These computer program instructions maybe provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus toproduce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer or other programmable data processingapparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified inthe flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computerreadable medium that can direct a computer, other programmable dataprocessing apparatus, or other devices to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readablemedium produce an article of manufacture including instructions whichimplement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer,other programmable data processing apparatus, or other devices to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, otherprogrammable apparatus or other devices to produce a computerimplemented process such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer or other programmable apparatus provide processes forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

FIG. 1 shows an illustrative environment 10 for managing the processesin accordance with the invention. To this extent, the environment 10includes a server or other computing system 12 that can perform theprocesses described herein. In particular, the server 12 includes acomputing device 14. The computing device 14 can be resident on anetwork infrastructure or computing device of a third party serviceprovider (any of which is generally represented in FIG. 1).

The computing device 14 includes a processor 20, memory 22A, an I/Ointerface 24, and a bus 26. The memory 22A can include local memoryemployed during actual execution of program code, bulk storage, andcache memories which provide temporary storage of at least some programcode in order to reduce the number of times code must be retrieved frombulk storage during execution. In addition, the computing deviceincludes random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), and anoperating system (O/S).

The computing device 14 is in communication with the external I/Odevice/resource 28 and the storage system 22B. For example, the I/Odevice 28 can comprise any device that enables an individual to interactwith the computing device 14 (e.g., user interface) or any device thatenables the computing device 14 to communicate with one or more othercomputing devices using any type of communications link. The externalI/O device/resource 28 may be, for example, a handheld device, PDA,handset, keyboard, etc.

In general, the processor 20 executes computer program code (e.g.,program control 44), which can be stored in the memory 22A and/orstorage system 22B. Moreover, in accordance with aspects of theinvention, the program control 44 controls a utility manager 105, e.g.,the processes described herein. The utility manager 105 communicateswith at least one electrical device 110 (on an electrical grid) and atleast one subscriber device 115. The communication between the utilitymanager 105, the electrical device 110, and the subscriber device 115can be through, for example, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) messagingusing, e.g., instant messaging or other communications utilizing SIP.

As should be understood by those of skill in the art, SIP is a signalingprotocol widely used for controlling multimedia communication sessions,such as voice and video calls over Internet Protocol (IP). The SIP canbe used for creating, modifying, and terminating two-party (unicast) ormultiparty (multicast) sessions consisting of one or several mediastreams. In embodiments, the present invention implements SIP as videoconferencing, streaming multimedia distribution, instant messaging,presence information and/or file transfer applications. In embodiments,SIP can be implemented as a text-based protocol, incorporating manyelements of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and the Simple MailTransfer Protocol (SMTP). Also, as used in the present invention, SIP isan Application Layer protocol designed to be independent of theunderlying transport layer, and as such, can run on Transmission ControlProtocol (TCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), or Stream ControlTransmission Protocol (SCTP).

The utility manager 105 can be implemented as one or more program codein the program control 44 stored in memory 22A as separate or combinedmodules. Additionally, the utility manager 105 may be implemented asseparate dedicated processors or a single or several processors toprovide the function of this tool. Moreover, it should be understood bythose of ordinary skill in the art that the utility manager 105 is usedas a general descriptive term for providing the features and/orfunctions of the present invention, and that the utility manager 105 maycomprise many different components such as, for example, componentsand/or infrastructure described and shown with reference to FIGS. 2-3.

In embodiments, the electrical device 110 can be any device involved inthe generation, transmission, and/or distribution of electricity on anelectrical grid such as, for example, fuses, transformers, circuitbreakers, capacitors, voltage regulators, compensators, relays, feeders,switches, protection devices, gateways (e.g., a router), solar panels,plug-in electric vehicles, and/or any other electrical gridinfrastructure devices. The electrical device 110 may be located at, forexample, an electrical substation, a power station, or anywhere in thetransmission line, on the electrical grid. Further, the electricaldevice 110 may be located within various types of electrical grids,e.g., a low-voltage (up to 60 kilovolts (kV)) grid, a high-voltage (110kV and up) grid, and/or an extra high-voltage (265 kV and up, AC andhigh-voltage DC (HVDC)) grid.

In embodiments, the electrical device 110 includes a monitoring device112. The monitoring device 112 can be any type of electrical monitoringdevice such as, for example, a voltage meter, a current meter, etc.,with the capability of transmitting monitored status information to theutility manager 105, e.g., via SIP. In embodiments, the monitoringdevice 112 transmits the monitored status information to the utilitymanager 105 and/or the subscriber device 115. In embodiments, themonitoring device 112 may also transmit presence information to theutility manager 105 and/or the subscriber device 115. In embodiments,the presence information (presence state) is provided by a networkconnection to a presence service, which can be, for example, depicted asthe utility manager 105 (or other third party device). In embodiments,the presence information may include the status information of theelectrical device 110, the type of the electrical device 110, and itsspecifications. In further embodiments, the location of the particularelectrical device 110 may also be provided, for example, using presenceinformation or through a look up table in the computing device 14. As tothe latter scenario, once presence information is received at thecomputing device 14, this information may be matched in a look-up tablewith pertinent location information for the electrical device 110.

In embodiments, the subscriber device 115 (e.g., a smartphone, apersonal computer (PC), a laptop, etc.) is in communication with theutility manager 105 and/or the electrical device 110. For example, inembodiments, the subscriber device 115 can be used by a field crewand/or a dispatcher of a service provider or an electricity supplier ata utility control center.

In implementation, the subscriber device 115 can send and receivemessages to and from the utility manager 105 in order to manage theelectrical device 110. For example, through SIP messaging, thesubscriber device 115 may subscribe to and receive status informationfrom the electrical device 110, to interact with and detect anelectrical fault of the electrical device 110. This status informationmay be received by the subscriber device 115 and/or the utility manager105. The subscriber device 115 may also send a request to the utilitymanager 105 for the status information of the electrical device 110.

In embodiments, through the use of rules stored in the storage system22B, for example, the utility manager 105 can send a command message tothe electrical device 110 to reconfigure the electrical device 110. Therules indicate what constitute critical events (e.g., electrical faults)at the electrical device 110 and how to manage the electrical device 110upon the occurrence of the critical events (e.g., isolate the electricalfaults via a command message to the electrical device 110). Accordingly,management of the electrical device 110 may be accomplished remotely viathe utility manager 105.

In operation, for example, the utility manager 105 can be located at adistribution feeder head or a transmission substation, on an electricalgrid. The utility manager 105 may receive from the electrical device 110a SIP-based message which indicates that an electrical fault or abnormalcondition has been detected at the electrical device 110. In response tothis message, the utility manager 105 may determine at least one ruleindicating at least one action to take and perform the action to takebased on the message. For example, the determined rule may include adefined centralized remedial action scheme that instructs the utilitymanager 105 to isolate the electrical device 110 from the electricalgrid (e.g., reroute power away from the electrical device 110) when anelectrical fault is detected. Since the message from the electricaldevice 110 indicates an electrical fault at the electrical device 110,the utility manager 105 may send a command message to the electricaldevice 110 to isolate the electrical device 110 from the electricalgrid.

Advantageously, the present invention provides electricity suppliers(e.g., the utility manager 105) with accurate and up-to-date informationof electrical devices (e.g., the electrical device 110) on an electricalgrid, to ensure its reliability. The present invention also provideselectricity suppliers with real-time control of electrical devices on anelectrical grid, to better react to and prevent power outages. Further,the present invention provides integration of an electrical grid and theInternet by using low latency communications, such as SIP and/or UserDatagram Protocol (UDP) communications.

While executing the computer program code, the processor 20 can readand/or write data to/from memory 22A, storage system 22B, and/or I/Ointerface 24. The program code executes the processes of the invention,for example, functions of a presence server, e.g., managing theelectrical device 110 of the electrical grid. The bus 26 provides acommunications link between each of the components in the computingdevice 14.

The computing device 14 can comprise any general purpose computingarticle of manufacture capable of executing computer program codeinstalled thereon (e.g., a personal computer, server, etc.). However, itis understood that the computing device 14 is only representative ofvarious possible equivalent-computing devices that may perform theprocesses described herein. To this extent, in embodiments, thefunctionality provided by the computing device 14 can be implemented bya computing article of manufacture that includes any combination ofgeneral and/or specific purpose hardware and/or computer program code.In each embodiment, the program code and hardware can be created usingstandard programming and engineering techniques, respectively.

Similarly, the computing infrastructure 12 is only illustrative ofvarious types of computer infrastructures for implementing theinvention. For example, in embodiments, the server 12 comprises two ormore computing devices (e.g., a server cluster) that communicate overany type of communications link, such as a network, a shared memory, orthe like, to perform the process described herein. Further, whileperforming the processes described herein, one or more computing deviceson the server 12 can communicate with one or more other computingdevices external to the server 12 using any type of communications link.The communications link can comprise any combination of wired and/orwireless links; any combination of one or more types of networks (e.g.,the Internet, a wide area network, a local area network, a virtualprivate network, etc.); and/or utilize any combination of transmissiontechniques and protocols.

FIG. 2 shows an illustrative environment 200 for implementing the stepsin accordance with aspects of the invention. The environment 200includes a utility front end 205 and a utility back end 210. Inembodiments, the utility front end 205 can include the electrical device110 and the subscriber device 115, and the utility back end 210 caninclude the utility manager 105. In embodiments, the utility manager105, the electrical device 110, and the subscriber device 115 mayinclude the utility manager 105, the electrical device 110, and thesubscriber device 115, respectively, in FIG. 1. The electrical device110 may include a device involved in the generation, transmission, anddistribution of electricity, such as a fuse, a transformer, a circuitbreaker, a capacitor, a voltage regulator, a reactor, a compensator, arelay, a feeder, a switch, a protection device, a gateway (e.g., arouter), solar panels, plug-in electric vehicles, and/or any otherelectrical grid infrastructure device, for example. The electricaldevice 110 may be located at, for example, an electrical substation, apower station, and/or anywhere along a transmission line in anelectrical grid. The electrical device 110 includes a lightweight SIPclient and a radio antenna connected to the SIP client, allowing theelectrical device 110 to communicate in SIP with other entities that canalso communicate in SIP, such as the utility manager 105 and thesubscriber device 115.

In embodiments, the utility front end 205 can further include varioustypes of premises and grids within the overall electrical grid, e.g., abuilding 215, a low-voltage grid 220, a high-voltage grid 225, an extrahigh-voltage grid 230, and/or a power station 235. The building 215(e.g., a hospital building and/or a complex of buildings), the grids220, 225, and 230, and the power station 235 may be electricallyconnected to each other, and may generate, transmit, and distributeelectricity between each other. Each of the building 215, the grids 220,225, 230, and the power station 235 may include a SIP client or gatewaywithin their location areas and a radio antenna connected to the SIPclient or gateway, allowing the building 215, the grids 220, 225, 230,and the power station 235 to communicate in SIP with other SIP-enabledentities. The electrical device 110 may be within the location areas ofthe building 215, the grids 220, 225, 230, and/or the power station 235.It should be understood that the electrical device 110 may be within thebuilding 215, and the utility manager 105 can provide control to managethe generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in thebuilding 215. Accordingly, the present invention is capable of beingimplemented in a micro level (e.g., within a building 215 or a complexof buildings) or a macro level (e.g., the electrical grid).

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, the utility frontend 205 can include decentralized presence servers 240A, 240B, 240C, and240D, which can be located in front end electrical premises of a utilityor an electrical grid, e.g., the building 215, the grids 220, 225,and/or 230, and the power station 235. The decentralized presenceservers 240A, 240B, 240C, 240D may be in communication with the building215, the grids 220, 225, and/or 230, and the power station 235, forexample, over SIP. The decentralized presence servers 240A, 240B, 240C,240D may also be in communication with the subscriber device 115 (shownin connection to the decentralized presence server 240D), as well as autility front end communication network 245.

In embodiments, the subscriber device 115 can be any device (e.g., asmartphone, a personal computer (PC), and/or a laptop) that interfaceswith a subscriber (e.g., a field crew or a dispatcher of an electricitysupplier). Like the electrical device 110, the subscriber device 115also includes a lightweight SIP client and a radio antenna connected tothe SIP client, which allow the subscriber device 115 to communicate inSIP with other SIP-based entities, such as the decentralized presenceservers 240A, 240B, 240C, 240D. In embodiments, the subscriber device115 may also include a web client that allows the subscriber device 115to communicate in Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) with other entitiesthat can also communicate in HTTP, e.g., the decentralized presenceservers 240A, 240B, 240C, 240D. In embodiments, the subscriber device115 may be connected to a presence server of the utility back end 210.

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, components of theutility front end 205 are in communication with components of theutility back end 210, via the utility front end communication network245. In embodiments, the utility front end communication network 245 canbe operated by, e.g., a utility or electricity supplier. The utilityfront end communication network 245 may also be any type ofcommunication network, such as the Internet, a cellular network, etc.

In embodiments, the utility back end 210 can include firewalls 250A and250B and centralized presence servers 255A and 255B. The firewalls 250A,250B are in communication with the utility front end communicationnetwork 245, for example, over SIP and/or HTTP. Each of the firewalls250A, 250B may include a computing device operable to permit or denymessages or transmissions from the utility front end 205 based on rulesdefined by the utility. For example, the firewalls 250A, 250B may beinstructed to permit messages from only authorized presence servers,e.g., the decentralized presence servers 240A, 240B, 240C, 240D. Thecentralized presence servers 255A, 255B are in communication with thefirewalls 250A, 250B, for example over SIP and/or HTTP. Through thefirewalls 250A, 250B, the centralized presence servers 255A, 255B mayreceive the permitted messages of the decentralized presence servers240A, 240B, 240C, 240D.

The centralized presence servers 255A, 255B may further be incommunication with the utility manager 105 over, e.g., SIP and/or HTTP.The centralized presence servers 255A, 255B, and the utility manager 105may be located in a back end, centralized premise of the utility orelectricity supplier, e.g., a distribution, transmission, and generationcontrol center, an Independent System Operator (ISO)/RegionalTransmission Organization (RTO) grid control center, etc. In alternativeembodiments, the utility manager 105 may be located in front endelectrical premises of the utility or an electrical grid (e.g., thebuilding 215, the grids 220, 225, and/or 230, and the power station235), and may be in communication with the decentralized presenceservers 240A, 240B, 240C, 240D.

In a reactive fault isolation operation, the decentralized presenceservers 240A, 240B, 240C, 240D can receive a SIP-based notificationmessage from an electrical device (e.g., the electrical device 110)located in, for example, the building 215, the grids 220, 225, and/or230, and/or the power station 235. In embodiments, the notificationmessage may include a fault detection notification message whichindicates that an electrical fault or abnormal condition has beendetected locally by the electrical device.

In a centralized approach, the decentralized presence servers 240A,240B, 240C, 240D may forward the notification message through theutility front end communication network 245 and the firewalls 250A, 250Bto the centralized presence servers 255A, 255B. At least one authorizedwatcher (e.g., the utility manager 105) in the utility back end 210 maybe subscribed to the centralized presence servers 255A, 255B to watchfor (e.g., receive) the notification message. In embodiments, thewatcher may include a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)system that, in response to the notification message, issues a SIP-basedalarm message to be displayed to a system operator responsible for aparticular area where the electrical fault is located. The SCADA systemmay also suggest a possible reconfiguration of the electrical device andnearby electrical devices to isolate (e.g., reroute power away from) theelectrical fault, in which the system operator decides how to react tothe electrical fault. The electrical device is considered at fault untila field crew or a system operator verifies conditions at the electricaldevice.

In embodiments, the watcher may include a generation, transmission,distribution or outage management system that, in response to thenotification message, evaluates an extent of the electrical fault, ablackout area, and/or an instable section of an electrical grid, andidentifies (automatically or manually) switching steps to isolate theelectrical fault. Such steps may be executed by sending SIP-basedcommand messages to electrical devices (e.g., switches) on theelectrical grid, via the decentralized presence servers 240A, 240B,240C, 240D. For example, the command message may include a faultisolation command message that instructs the electrical devices toexecute requested configuration changes (e.g., switch on or off) aimedat isolating the electrical fault or abnormal condition. The commandmessage may be sent to, for example, fuses or switches closest upstreamor downstream from the faulty electrical device and that are remotelycontrollable by the utility back end watcher. The command message mayalso be sent to a circuit breaker near the faulty electrical device, andmay instruct the circuit breaker to shut off. Advantageously, thepresent invention allows the utility to interact with electrical deviceson an electrical grid in a centralized manner, and to isolate electricalfaults, avoiding cascading events, e.g., further blackouts in areas ofthe electrical faults.

In a decentralized approach, at least one authorized watcher (e.g., thesubscriber device 115) in the utility front end 205 can be subscribed tothe decentralized presence servers 240A, 240B, 240C, 240D to watch for(e.g., receive) the notification message from the electrical device. Inembodiments, the watcher in the utility front end 205 may initiateautomatic switching steps to isolate the electrical fault. For example,these switching steps may be executed by sending SIP-based commandmessages to electrical devices (e.g., switches) on the electrical grid.The command message may include a fault isolation command message thatinstructs the electrical devices to execute requested configurationchanges (e.g., switch on or off) aimed at isolating the electrical faultor abnormal condition. Advantageously, the decentralized approach of thepresent invention enables faster fault isolation, is closer to aself-healing system, and allows for fault isolation even when incidents(e.g., blackouts, communication network problems) cause the utilityfront end 205 to be cut off from the utility back end 210.

In a hybrid (centralized and decentralized) approach, the watcher in theutility front end 205 can forward the notification message along withany switching steps already performed to a watcher (e.g., the utilitymanager 105) in the utility back end 210. The utility back end watchermay take additional steps ensure the stability of the electrical grid,such as send additional command messages to other electrical devices toisolate electrical faults. Further, once the electrical faults areisolated, the utility back end watcher may initiate an automated ormanual service restoration process to restore power to as many customersas possible.

More specifically, in a reactive service restoration operation, acentralized watcher in the utility back end 210 can identify customerson an electrical grid that have lost power due to, for example, aproblematic electrical device on the electrical grid and/or the faultisolation operation that may have shut off power to these customers. Theutility back end watcher may then identify available switches upstreamand downstream from the problematic electrical device that allow forpower restoration to part or all customers. The watcher in the utilityback end 210 may determine a best combination of the upstream anddownstream switches which would restore power to a maximum number ofvery important (VIP) customers (e.g., medical baseline emergencycenters, large commercial and residential customers) or customers.

In embodiments, this determination may be done by closing each upstream,remotely-controllable switch, running power flow through the switch,calculating a number of restored customers due to the closing of theswitch, and ranking the switch amongst other upstream switches based onthe number of restored customers. Similarly, the utility back endwatcher may close each downstream, remotely-controllable switch, runpower flow through the switch, calculate a number of restored customersdue to the closing of the switch, and rank the switch among otherdownstream switches based on the number of restored customers. Based onthe rankings of the upstream and downstream switches, the bestcombination of upstream and downstream switches is determined and isplaced into a switching plan for the electrical grid. To ensure gridstability and resiliency, the watcher in the utility back end 210 mayvalidate the switching plan by recalculating the power flow through thedetermined upstream and downstream switches and the number of restoredcustomers, and by checking responses (e.g., expected new states) of thedetermined switches.

Based on the validated switching plan, the utility back end watchersends SIP-based command messages to the determined upstream anddownstream switches. For example, the command messages may include aservices restoration command message that instructs the switches to openor close to allow restoration of power to customers. The command messagemay be sent to, for example, a circuit breaker near a problematicelectrical device that was previously shut off to isolate the electricaldevice, and the command message may instruct the circuit breaker to beturned back on to reroute power back into the electrical device.Advantageously, the service restoration operation of the presentinvention avoids any potential electrical loops and additionalelectrical faults, while restoring power to customers as soon aselectrical faults are isolated.

In a predictive operation, an electrical device (e.g., the electricaldevice 110) located in, for example, the building 215, the grids 220,225, and/or 230, and/or the power station 235, can send to at least onepresence server (e.g., the decentralized presence server 240A and/or thecentralized presence server 255A) current status information of theelectrical device, via a SIP-based notification message. In embodiments,the status information may include, for example, the following:

(i) a voltage at the electrical device;

(ii) a reactive power at the electrical device;

(iii) a real power at the electrical device;

(iv) an open or closed (e.g., turned on or off) status of the electricaldevice; and/or

(v) a tap position of the electrical device (e.g., a transformer).

In embodiments, the electrical device can send to a presence servercritical events or abnormal electrical conditions at the electricaldevice, via a SIP-based notification message.

These critical events may include, for example, the following:

-   -   (i) indication that a voltage at the electrical device is        greater or less than a predetermined threshold;    -   (ii) indication that a frequency at the electrical device is        greater or less than a predetermined threshold; and/or    -   (iii) indication that a current at the electrical device is        greater or less than a predetermined threshold.

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, a watcher in theutility front end 205 (e.g., the subscriber device 115) and/or theutility back end 210 (e.g., the utility manager 105) can subscribe to atleast one presence server (e.g., the decentralized presence server 240Aand/or the centralized presence server 255A) to watch for (e.g.,receive) notification messages from electrical devices on an electricalgrid. Once received, the decentralized or centralized watcher mayanalyze the notification messages and predict a location of a root of anelectrical problem on the electrical grid. For example, thedecentralized or centralized watcher may predict that a location of aroot of an electrical problem is at a particular electrical device,and/or that an electrical fault may occur at such electrical device. Ifthe watcher does predict that an abnormal condition or an electricalfault at an electrical device, the watcher may issue a SIP-based alarmmessage to be displayed to an operator of a Supervisory Control and DataAcquisition (SCADA) system responsible for a particular area where theelectrical device is located. The watcher may also suggest a possiblereconfiguration of the electrical device to isolate the abnormalcondition, in which the system operator decides how to proactively reactto the abnormal condition prior to a power outage or another electricalfault. In embodiments, the watcher may automatically request a faultisolation operation to isolate the predicted electrical fault.Advantageously, the present invention provides a predictive operation toidentify potential problems at electrical devices and to prevent theproblems before they occur, in addition to providing a reactiveoperation to identify and isolate electrical fault that have alreadyoccurred.

FIG. 3 shows an illustrative environment of the presence server 240A,240B, 240C, 240D, 255A, or 255B, for implementing steps in accordancewith aspects of the invention. In embodiments, the presence server 240A,240B, 240C, 240D, 255A, or 255B can include a load balancing layer 305,a utility domain 310, and a network service provider domain 315.Components (e.g., the electrical device 110 and the subscriber device115 in FIGS. 1-2) communicate with the domains 310, 315 via the loadbalancing layer 305 which may distribute data (e.g., a load) evenlybetween the above entities. For example, the load balancing layer 305may be provided in a network switch and a gateway router, which may beimplemented in the computing device 14 of FIG. 1. The load balancinglayer 305 includes a SIP client and a web client such that the loadbalancing layer 305 is able to communicate in SIP and HTTP with otherSIP-enabled and/or HTTP-enabled entities.

The utility domain 310 is a network domain of an electricity supplier, autility provider, and/or other service provider. In embodiments, theutility domain 310 can include a Serving Call Session Control Function(S-CSCF)/SIP registrar 320, a presence cluster 325, the utility manager105, and a rules database 330. The S-CSCF/SIP registrar 320 is a SIPserver that controls SIP sessions between components (e.g., theelectrical device 110 and the subscriber device 115 in FIGS. 1-2) andthe domains 310, 315. In particular, the S-CSCF/SIP registrar 320handles SIP registrations of the electrical device 110 and thesubscriber device 115. So, over and above a Mobile Subscriber IntegratedServices Digital Network Number (MSISDN) of these entities, they areregistered as IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS)/SIP clients in the domains310, 315. In embodiments, the S-CSCF/SIP registrar 320 may beimplemented in the server 12 and/or the computing device 14 in FIG. 1,and may be alternatively located in the network service provider domain315 and/or a third-party location. After registration, the S-CSCF/SIPregistrar 320 forwards SIP messages from the electrical device 110 andthe subscriber device 115 to components in the domains 310, 315, such asthe presence cluster 325.

The presence cluster 325 includes a presence server 335 and anExtensible Markup Language (XML) Data Management Server (XDMS) 340. Thepresence server 335 is a SIP application server that communicates andstores presence information of client devices, such as the electricaldevice 110 and the subscriber device 115. The presence server 335 can beimplemented in the server 12 of FIG. 1 and, for example, in the utilitymanager 105. Specifically, the presence server 335 receives SIP notifymessages including the presence information from the client devices. Inthe case of the electrical grid, the presence information may include,for example, a location of the electrical device 110. Further, thepresence information may include the status information of theelectrical device 110 that indicates a voltage, current, and/or power,generated or transmitted by the electrical device 110. In embodiments,the status information of the electrical device 110 may include, forexample, the following:

(i) a voltage at the electrical device 110;

(ii) a reactive power at the electrical device 110;

(iii) a real power at the electrical device 110;

(iv) an open or closed (e.g., turned on or off) status of the electricaldevice 110; and/or

(v) a tap position of the electrical device 110 (e.g., a transformer).

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, the presenceinformation can include an indication that an electrical fault orabnormal condition has been detected locally by the electrical device110. Such an indication may be determined based on SIP-based faultdetection notification messages received from an electrical device 110.An indication of an abnormal condition (e.g., a critical event) mayinclude, for example, the following:

-   -   (i) indication that a voltage at the electrical device 110 is        greater or less than a predetermined threshold;    -   (ii) indication that a frequency at the electrical device 110 is        greater or less than a predetermined threshold; and/or    -   (iii) indication that a current at the electrical device 110 is        greater or less than a predetermined threshold.

With this received presence information, the presence server 335 sendsthe presence information to the XDMS 340 that builds or updates apresence document including the presence information. In embodiments,this presence document can include the presence information of allelectrical devices and subscriber devices within a specified area of theelectrical grid. The presence document may include multiple nodes, or inother words, the presence document may refer to multiple areas in theelectrical grid and their associated client devices. In embodiments, thepresence document and the SIP messages can be in a XML format, a RichPresence Information Data (RPID) format, and/or a Presence InformationData Format (PDIF). The XDMS 340 may be implemented in the server 12 ofFIG. 1.

Additionally, the presence server 335 receives SIP subscribe messagesfrom the client devices, for example, the subscriber device 115 and theutility manager 105. The SIP subscribe messages are requests to receive(e.g., to subscribe to) updates about the presence information from thepresence server 335. The presence server 335 manages these SIP subscribemessages from the client devices and when there is an update about thepresence information, the presence server 335 automatically sends SIPpublish messages (with the presence information) quickly and effectivelyto the subscribing client devices (e.g., the subscriber device 115 andthe utility manager 105). The presence server 335 may send informationregarding the subscribing client devices (“subscriber presenceinformation”) to the XDMS 340, which may then update the correspondingpresence document to include such subscriber presence information. As aresult, the presence document may include information regardingrelationships between electrical devices and subscribing client devicesinterested in receiving updated presence information with respect tothese electrical devices. That is, the presence document can associateeach of its nodes to the subscriber, enabling enhanced utility datatracking with tight association to the specific subscriber or theutility provider that may be responsible for reconfiguring one or moreelectrical devices.

The presence information and other pertinent information can be providedto the utility manager 105 via SIP messaging. By quickly updating theutility manager 105 with the presence information of the electricaldevice 110 via a SIP channel, the utility manager 105 can rapidly reactto any notification in a temporally and channel-appropriate manner. Forexample, the utility manager 105 can react to a notification“out-of-band,” e.g., dispatch a field crew to the electrical device tomanually configure the electrical device 110 if the notificationindicates that the field crew can safely work with the electrical device110. In another example, the field crew and/or the utility manager 105can react to a notification “in-band,” e.g., remotely send a commandmessage (e.g., a SIP message) to the electrical device 110 to turn on oroff the electrical device 110. In embodiments, the command message mayinclude instructions for the electrical device 110 to change itsconfiguration in various ways, such as to be re-energized orde-energized and to increase or decrease a voltage generated by theelectrical device 110, for example, in order to isolate an electricalfault detected by the utility manager 105. In addition, the presencecluster 325 (specifically, the XDMS 340) may update the presencedocument pertaining to the electrical device 110 to include informationregarding the command message sent to the electrical device 110. Inembodiments, the field crew and/or the utility manager 105 may send thecommand message through the presence server 335 (updating the pertinentpresence document) to the electrical device 110. Advantageously, the useof SIP messaging is massively scalable and results in low latencycommunications between the electrical device 110, the subscriber device115, the presence server 335, and/or the utility manager 105.

The rules database 330 includes and stores rules set by the subscriber,the service provider, and/or the utility manager 105 regardingmonitoring and control of the electrical device(s) 110. For example, therules can indicate that the subscriber has allowed the utility provider(e.g., the utility manager 105) to control the electrical device 110.The rules may also indicate what constitutes critical events at theelectrical device 110 that require control of the electrical device 110and thus, include event lists and event categories. For example, thesecritical events can include the electrical device 110 (i) generating ortransmitting power over or under a predetermined threshold, (ii) beingon or off, (iii) indicating a blown fuse or a maintenance signal, (iv)overheating, (v) having an electrical fault, etc. The control of theelectrical device 110 may be accomplished via the utility manager 105(and/or another watcher) sending or forwarding a command message to theelectrical device 110 that is determined from the rules database 330.The command message can include a command indicating to the electricaldevice 110 which actions to take in response to a critical event at theelectrical device 110. For example, the command message may include aSIP-based fault isolation command message that instructs the electricaldevice 110 to execute requested configuration changes (e.g., switch onor off) aimed at isolating an electrical fault or abnormal condition. Inanother example, the rules may indicate to the utility manager 105 todispatch a field crew to the electrical device 110 to isolate anelectrical fault at the electrical device 110, and/or to perform orinitiate other actions to take in response to critical events. Inembodiments, the rules database 330 may be set by a subscriber, aservice provider, etc., via the subscriber device 115.

The network service provider domain 315 is a network domain of anInternet service provider and/or a cellular service provider. Inembodiments, the network service provider domain 315 can include apresence cluster 345, a subscriber/usage database 350, and watchers 355,360, and 365. The presence cluster 345 includes a presence server 370and a XDMS 375, which perform functions similar to those of the presenceserver 335 and the XDMS 340 in the utility domain 310. In fact, allinformation (e.g., the presence information and the subscriber presenceinformation) received and processed in the presence server 335 and theXDMS 340 in the utility domain 310 may be transferred to, or replicatedin, the presence server 370 and the XDMS 375 in the network serviceprovider domain 315, and vice versa. In embodiments, replication in thedomains 310, 315 can be accomplished via peering and dedicated bandwidthbetween the domains 310, 315. In embodiments, the presence servers 335,370 may be in a hierarchal relationship, for example, where the presenceserver 335 is a primary, master server and the presence server 370 is asecondary, slave server.

The subscriber/usage database 350 receives the built or replicatedpresence documents from the XDMS 375 and stores the presence documentsfor the system. The watchers 355, 360, 365 are entities in the networkservice provider domain 315 that send SIP subscribe messages to thepresence cluster 345 to subscribe to updates regarding the presenceinformation in the presence server 370, e.g., the SIP publish messages.For example, one of the watchers 355, 360, 365 can represent the utilityprovider (e.g., a dispatcher at a utility control center), and may beimplemented in the computing device 14 in FIG. 1.

By subscribing to the SIP publish messages, the watchers 355, 360, 365are able to watch for notifications of the critical events and thestatus information of the electrical device 110. In addition, thewatchers 355, 360, 365 are able to react to these notifications asnecessary. For example, if the watcher 355 represents the utilityprovider and observes a notification of an electrical fault at theelectrical device 110, the watcher 355 may cut electricity to theelectrical device 110 (possibly via the command message to theelectrical device 110), to prevent further electrical faults at otherelectrical devices.

In embodiments, presence infrastructure (e.g., the presence cluster 345)can be only present in the network service provider domain 315, and awatcher (e.g., the utility manager 105) can be present in the utilitydomain 310. In other words, the utility manager 105 may correspond to awatcher. In this embodiment, the utility manager 105 can subscribe toall presence information updates or events and react as necessary. Totransfer information, the domains 310, 315 may include dedicatedbandwidth between the two sides. In embodiments, the presenceinfrastructure can include multiple presence clusters for differenttypes of devices, such as subscriber devices, electrical devices, andwatchers.

In embodiments, a third-party watcher can be hosted in a third-partyenvironment, which is completely configurable by a subscriber.Specifically, the subscriber may configure how the environmentinfrastructure could react to notifications of the critical events orthe status information of the electrical device 110 or the subscriberdevice 115, as necessary. The infrastructure may be implemented in theserver 12 and/or the computing device 14 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows an illustrative environment of the electrical grid 220,225, or 230 for implementing steps in accordance with aspects of theinvention. In embodiments, the grid 220, 225, or 230 can include thegrid 220, 225, or 230 in FIG. 2. The grid 220, 225, or 230 may include apower substation 405 operable to generate and distribute power toelectrical devices in the grid 220, 225, or 230. These electricaldevices may include, for example, transformers 410A, 410B, and 410C,which are electrically coupled to the substation 405. Circuits 415A,415B, and 415C are electrically coupled to the transformers 410A, 410B,410C, respectively, and are operable to transfer power when opened andto stop power when closed.

In embodiments, the grid 220, 225 or 230 can further include switches420A and 420B electrically coupled to the circuits 415A, 415B, 415C, andare operable to reroute power when opened and to stop power when closed.Transformers 425A, 425B, and 425C are electrically coupled to thecircuits 415A, 415B, 415C, respectively. Fuses 430A, 430B, 430C, 430D,430E, and 430F are electrically coupled to the transformers 425A, 425B,425C, and are operable to interrupt (or blow due to) excessive currentfrom the transformers 425A, 425B, 425C, to prevent damage to downstreamelectrical devices in the grid 220, 225, or 230. These downstreamelectrical devices may include feeders 435A, 435B, 435C, 435D, 435E, and435F operable to transfer power from the substation 405 to variouselectrical devices in and/or outside the grid 220, 225, or 230.

In accordance with further aspects of the invention, each of thesubstation 405 and the electrical devices in the grid 220, 225, or 230can communicate with entities in and/or outside the grid 220, 225, or230 (e.g., the presence servers 240A, 240B, 240C, 240D, 255A, and/or255B) via SIP messaging. For example, each of the substation 405 and theelectrical devices may send a SIP-based notification message to at leastone presence server. In embodiments, the notification message mayindicate a low voltage or a voltage less than a predetermined threshold,detected at one of the substation 405 and the electrical devices. Forexample, each of the feeders 435C, 435D, 435E, 435F, the fuses 430C,430D, 430E, 435F, the transformers 425B, 425C, the circuit 415B, and theswitch 420B may send to the presence server a notification messageindicating a low voltage detected. A decentralized and/or centralizedwatcher (e.g., the utility manager 105 in FIGS. 2-3) connected to thepresence server may receive and analyze the notification message, anddetermine that the transformer 410B might not be performing as expected,e.g., is predicted in an abnormal condition. The watcher may then send aSIP-based alarm message to be displayed to an operator of a SupervisoryControl and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system responsible for a particulararea where the transformer 410B is located. In the alarm message, thewatcher may also suggest a possible reconfiguration of the transformer410 (and/or the nearby electrical devices) to isolate the abnormalcondition, in which the system operator decides how to react to theabnormal condition. Alternatively, the watcher may send a requestmessage which requests a fault isolation operation to isolate thepredicted electrical fault at the transformer 410B.

FIGS. 5-11 show exemplary flows for performing aspects of the presentinvention. The steps of FIG. 5-11 may be implemented in the environmentsof FIGS. 1-4, for example. The flowcharts and block diagrams in theFigures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation ofpossible implementations of systems, methods and computer programproducts according to various embodiments of the present invention. Inthis regard, each block in the flowcharts or block diagrams mayrepresent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one ormore executable instructions for implementing the specified logicalfunction(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations ofblocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, can beimplemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform thespecified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

Furthermore, the invention can take the form of a computer programproduct accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable mediumproviding program code for use by or in connection with a computer orany instruction execution system. The software and/or computer programproduct can be implemented in the environment of FIGS. 1-4. For thepurposes of this description, a computer-usable or computer readablemedium can be any apparatus that can contain, store, communicate,propagate, or transport the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The medium can be anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium.Examples of a computer-readable storage medium include a semiconductoror solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a rigid magneticdisk and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks includecompact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disc-read/write (CD-R/W)and DVD.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary flow for a process 500 of decentralized andcentralized fault isolation and service restoration in an electricalgrid in accordance with aspects of the present invention. The process500 involves three players: a user and transport plane 505, a controlplane 510, and a service plane 515. The user and transport plane 505includes the subscriber device 115 and the electrical device 110, e.g.the subscriber device 115 and the electrical device 110 in FIGS. 1-2.The control plane 510 includes the registrar 320 and the presencecluster 325, e.g., the S-CSCF/SIP registrar 320 and the presence cluster325 and/or 345 in FIG. 3. The service plane 515 includes the utilitymanager 105 and the rules database 330, e.g., one of the watchers 355,360, 365 and/or the utility manager 105, and the rules database 330 inFIG. 3.

At step S520, the process starts, and the subscriber device 115provisions a set of rules associated with specific event categories andevent lists regarding the electrical device 110. These categories andlists are stored in the rules database 330. The event categories andlists may include actions to take, as and when the events (e.g.,electrical faults) occur. At step S522, the electrical device 110 sendsa SIP register message via a gateway router (e.g., the load balancinglayer 305) to the registrar 320, to register the electrical device 110and/or the gateway router in the IMS/SIP network.

At step S524, the registrar 320 registers the electrical device 110and/or the gateway router in the IMS/SIP network using SIP semantics,such as Initial Filter Criteria (iFC). At step S526, the registrar 320sends a SIP acknowledgment message to the electrical device 110 thatindicates that the electrical device 110 has been registeredsuccessfully. At step S528, the utility manager 105 sends a SIPsubscribe to the presence cluster 325 to subscribe to updates inpresence information in the presence cluster 325, such as notificationsof critical events or status information at the electrical device 110.At step S530, the presence cluster 325 sends a SIP acknowledgmentmessage to the utility manager 105 that indicates that the utilitymanager 105 has subscribed successfully with the presence cluster 325.

At step S532, the subscriber device 115 sends a SIP subscribe to thepresence cluster 325 to subscribe to updates in presence information inthe presence cluster 325, such as notifications of critical events orstatus information at the electrical device 110. At step S534, thepresence cluster 325 sends a SIP acknowledgment message to thesubscriber device 115 that indicates that the subscriber device 115 hassubscribed successfully with the presence cluster 325. At step S536, theelectrical device 110 records or observes a critical event or statusinformation (e.g., an electrical fault) at the electrical device 110. Atstep S538, the electrical device 110 sends a SIP notify messageincluding presence information of the critical event or statusinformation at the electrical device 110 to the presence cluster 325.

At step S540, the presence cluster 325 processes the SIP notify message,including building or updating a presence document including thepresence information and storing the presence document in a database,e.g., the subscriber/usage database 350 in FIG. 3. At step S542, thepresence cluster 325 sends a SIP acknowledgement message to theelectrical device 110 that indicates that the presence information hasbeen received and processed. At step S544, the presence cluster 325cycles through its watcher list and sends a SIP publish message ornotification (e.g., a fault detection notification message) to theutility manager 105 that includes the updated presence information. Atstep S546, the utility manager 105 sends a SIP acknowledgement messageto the presence cluster 325 that indicates that the presence informationhas been received.

At step S548, the presence cluster 325 cycles through its watcher listand sends a SIP publish message or notification (e.g., a fault detectionnotification message) to the subscriber device 115 that includes theupdated presence information. At step S550, the subscriber device 115sends a SIP acknowledgement message to the presence cluster 325 thatindicates that the presence information has been received. At step S552,the utility manger 105 requests a rule from the rules database 330 basedon the notification of the critical event or status information at theelectrical device 110. At step S554, the rules database 330 processesthe request, specifically, determining actions to take based on thecritical event or status information. At step S556, the rules database330 responds with the rule indicating the actions to take in response tothe critical event or status information. At step S558, the utilitymanager 105 may send a SIP-based command message (e.g., a faultisolation command message or a services restoration command message) tothe electrical device 110 based on the rule indicating the actions totake. Alternatively or additionally, the utility manager may perform(initiate) actions necessary to make changes in the electrical device110, such as dispatch a field crew to the electrical device 110. At stepS558, the process ends.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary flow for a process 600 of provisioning asystem for decentralized and centralized fault isolation and servicerestoration in an electrical grid in accordance with aspects of theinvention. At step 605, the process starts. At step 610, a relationshipand connection between a network service provider (e.g., a cellularnetwork service) and a utility provider (“utility”) is provisioned. Atstep 615, an electrical grid of the utility is provisioned. At step 620,a subscriber is provisioned to use the electrical grid and the networkof the invention. At step 625, the process ends.

More specifically, FIG. 7 shows an exemplary flow for a process 700 ofprovisioning the relationship between the network service provider andthe utility provider in accordance with aspects of the invention. Atstep 705, the process starts. At step 710, a carrier connectionagreement between the network service provider and the utility isestablished, e.g., finalized and agreed upon. At step 715, the networkservice provider and the utility provider establish and test theirnetwork domain connectivity, such as peering between presence clustersin their respective domains. At step 720, a settlement (business)agreement between the network service provider and the utility isestablished, e.g., finalized and agreed upon. At step 725, the providersfinalize authorization rules of their network domains, or rules on howto connect to their respective network domains, e.g., telecommunicationrules and/or SIP registration semantics. At step 730, the process ends.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary flow for a process 800 of provisioning theelectrical grid of the utility in accordance with aspects of theinvention. At step 805, the process starts. At step 810, at least oneelectrical device is installed in the electrical grid and connected tonetwork domains of the utility and the network service provider. At step815, a subscriber (e.g., a field crew) profile is setup in the networkdomains and in a rules database. At step 820, the utility then tests theconnectivity of the electrical device with the electrical grid and thenetwork domains. At step 825, the utility then notifies the subscriberof the connection of the electrical device to the electrical grid. Atstep 830, the process ends.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary flow for a process 900 of provisioning thesubscriber to use the electrical grid and the network in accordance withaspects of the invention. At step 905, the process starts. At step 910,the subscriber subscribes to a device information (e.g., statusinformation of the electrical device) and SIP message service operatedby the utility and/or network service provider. In embodiments, thesubscriber may include, for example, the utility manager 105 and thesubscriber device in 115 in FIGS. 1-2, the watchers 355, 360, 365 inFIG. 3, etc. At step 915, the subscriber then configures his or hernetwork device (e.g., a mobile device) for use in the special service.At step 920, the subscriber may test the configured network device usingthe service. At step 925, through the network device, the subscriberconfigures critical electrical events at the electrical device and otherenergy control rules, by communicating with a rules database in thenetwork domain of the utility. At step 930, the subscriber may alsocommunicate with the presence clusters at the network domains of theutility and/or the network service provider to receive and possiblyreact to notifications of the critical events at the electrical device.At step 935, the process ends.

FIG. 10 depicts another exemplary flow for a process 1000 ofdecentralized and centralized fault isolation and service restoration inan electrical grid in accordance with aspects of the present invention.In embodiments, the process 1000 may be performed by the utility manager105 in FIGS. 1-3. At step 1005, the process starts. At step 1010, theutility manager subscribes to notifications of critical events or statusinformation at an electrical device (e.g., the electrical device inFIGS. 1-2), such as through sending a SIP subscribe message to apresence cluster. At step 1015, the utility manager receives thenotifications of the critical events or status information (e.g., anelectrical fault) at the electric device, such as via receiving a SIPpublish message. At step 1020, the utility manager determines a rulefrom a rules database (e.g., the rules database 330 in FIG. 3) based onthe notification of the critical event or status information at theelectrical device. At step 1025, the utility manager either sends acommand message to the electrical device based on the rule indicatingthe actions to take, or performs (initiates) actions necessary to makechanges in the electrical device, such as dispatch a field crew to thedevice. For example, the command message may instruct the electricaldevice (or nearby electrical devices) to shut off or decrease outputpower to isolate an electrical fault detected at the electrical device.At step 1030, the process ends.

FIG. 11 depicts another exemplary flow for a process 1100 ofdecentralized and centralized fault isolation and service restoration inan electrical grid in accordance with aspects of the present invention.In embodiments, the process 1100 may be performed by the utility manager105 in FIGS. 1-3. At step 1105, the process starts. At step 1110, theutility manager subscribes to notifications of critical events or statusinformation at an electrical device (e.g., the electrical device inFIGS. 1-2), such as through sending a SIP subscribe message to apresence cluster. At step 1115, the utility manager receives thenotifications of the critical events or status information (e.g., anelectrical fault) at the electric device, such as via receiving a SIPpublish message. At step 1120, the utility manager predicts a locationof a root of an electrical problem on the electrical grid based on thenotifications of the critical events or status information at theelectrical device. For example, the utility manager may predict that alocation of a root of an electrical problem is at the electrical device,and/or that an electrical fault may occur at such electrical device. Atstep 1125, the utility manager may send a SIP-based alarm message to bedisplayed to an operator of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition(SCADA) system responsible for a particular area where the electricaldevice is located. In the alarm message, the utility manager may alsosuggest a possible reconfiguration of the electrical device to isolatethe electrical problem, in which the system operator decides how toreact to the electrical condition. Alternatively, the utility managermay send a request message which requests a fault isolation operation toisolate the predicted electrical fault at the electrical device. At step1130, the process ends.

FIG. 12 depicts another exemplary flow for a process 1200 ofdecentralized and centralized fault isolation and service restoration inan electrical grid in accordance with aspects of the present invention.In embodiments, the process 1200 may be performed by the utility manager105 in FIGS. 1-3. At step 1205, the process starts. At step 1210, theutility manager identifies customers on an electrical grid without powerdue to, for example, a problematic electrical device on the electricalgrid and/or the fault isolation operation shutting off power to thesecustomers. At step 1215, the utility manager identifies availableswitches upstream and downstream from the problematic electrical devicethat allow for power restoration to part or all customers.

At step 1220, the utility manager determines a number of restoredcustomers per closed upstream switch. In embodiments, this determinationmay be done by closing each upstream, remotely-controllable switch,running power flow through the switch, and calculating a number ofrestored customers due to the closing of the switch. At step 1225, theutility manager ranks upstream switches based on the number of restoredcustomers per closed upstream switch. For example, a first closedupstream switch that restores power to five customers would be rankedhigher than a second closed upstream switch that restores power to twocustomers. At step 1230, the utility manager determines a number ofrestored customers per closed downstream switch. In embodiments, thisdetermination may be done by closing each downstream,remotely-controllable switch, running power flow through the switch, andcalculating a number of restored customers due to the closing of theswitch. At step 1235, the utility manager ranks the downstream switchesbased on the number of restored customers per closed downstream switch.For example, a first closed downstream switch that restores power tofour customers would be ranked higher than a second closed downstreamswitch that restores power to two customers.

At step 1240, based on the rankings of the upstream and downstreamswitches, the utility manager determines the best combination ofupstream and downstream switches and determines a switching plan for theelectrical grid based on the best upstream and downstream switches. Atstep 1245, the utility manager sends SIP-based command messages to thedetermined upstream and downstream switches based on the switching plan.For example, the command messages may include services restorationcommand messages that instructs the switches to open or close to allowrestoration of power to customers. At step 1250, the process ends.

In embodiments, a service provider, such as a Solution Integrator, couldoffer to perform the processes described herein. In this case, theservice provider can create, maintain, deploy, support, etc., thecomputer infrastructure that performs the process steps of the inventionfor one or more customers. These customers may be, for example, anybusiness that uses technology and provides or utilizes services. Inreturn, the service provider can receive payment from the customer(s)under a subscription and/or fee agreement and/or the service providercan receive payment from the sale of advertising content to one or morethird parties.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of allmeans or step plus function elements in the claims, if applicable, areintended to include any structure, material, or act for performing thefunction in combination with other claimed elements as specificallyclaimed. The description of the present invention has been presented forpurposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to beexhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The embodiments described herein are intended to best explain theprincipals of the invention and the practical application, and to enableothers of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention forvarious embodiments with various modifications as are suited to theparticular use contemplated. Accordingly, while the invention has beendescribed in terms of embodiments, those of skill in the art willrecognize that the invention can be practiced with modifications and inthe spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system implemented in hardware, comprising: acomputer infrastructure operable to: receive a notification message ofan electrical device on an electrical grid, the notification messageincluding a status of the electrical device; predict an electrical faultof the electrical device based on a set of rules related to theelectrical device and the notification message; and send a commandaction to at least one of the electrical device and other electricalcomponents in response to the predicted electrical fault, the commandaction comprising corrective action that reroutes electricity in anelectrical path, bypassing the predicted electrical fault.
 2. The systemof claim 1, wherein: the electrical device and the other electricalcomponents are reconfigured by performing the command action; thecomputer infrastructure is further operable to subscribe to informationof the electrical component by sending a SIP subscribe message to apresence server; and the receiving the notification message comprisesreceiving a SIP publish message from the electrical component.
 3. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the status of the electrical device comprisesat least one of: an indication that an electrical fault has beendetected at the electrical device; a voltage at the electrical device; areactive power at the electrical device; a real power at the electricaldevice; an open or closed status of the electrical device; a tapposition of the electrical device; an indication that a voltage at theelectrical device is greater or less than a predetermined threshold; anindication that a frequency at the electrical device is greater or lessthan a predetermined threshold; and an indication that a current at theelectrical device is greater or less than a predetermined threshold. 4.The system of claim 1, wherein the predicting the electrical faultcomprises proactively predicting the electrical fault prior to anyelectrical fault.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computerinfrastructure is further operable to: send a SIP-based fault isolationcommand message that instructs at least one of the electrical device andthe other electrical components to execute configuration changes thatisolates the predicted electrical fault at the electrical device andreroutes electricity around the electrical device; and send an alarmmessage to be displayed to a system operator responsible for an areawhere the predicted electrical fault is located, the alarm messagecomprising a suggested reconfiguration of at least one of the electricaldevice and the other electrical components to isolate the predictedelectrical fault.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computerinfrastructure is at a back end, centralized premise of a utility,wherein the back end, centralized premise comprises at least one of autility control center, a distribution, transmission, and generationcontrol center, and an Independent System Operator (ISO)/RegionalTransmission Organization (RTO) grid control center.
 7. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the computer infrastructure is at a front end,decentralized premise of a utility, wherein the front end, decentralizedpremise comprises at least one of a building, a complex of buildings, alow-voltage grid, a high-voltage grid, an extra high-voltage grid, and apower station.
 8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computerinfrastructure is at a back end, centralized premise of a utility and ata front end decentralized premise of the utility, wherein the back end,centralized premise comprises at least one of a utility control center,a distribution, transmission, and generation control center, and anIndependent System Operator (ISO)/Regional Transmission Organization(RTO) grid control center, and wherein the front end, decentralizedpremise comprises at least one of a building, a complex of buildings, alow-voltage grid, a high-voltage grid, an extra high-voltage grid, and apower station.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the predictedelectrical fault comprises an abnormal condition at the electricaldevice.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein: the computer infrastructureis further operable to determine the command action based on thenotification message; and the sending the command action comprisesrestoring power to at least one customer by sending a command message toat least one switch that instructs the at least one switch to one ofopen and close.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the command messagecomprises a SIP-based a services restoration command message thatinstructs the at least one circuit breaker to open or close to allowrestoration of power to customers.
 12. A method for decentralized andcentralized fault isolation and service restoration in an electricalgrid, comprising: sending, by a processor, a register message toregister in a network; recording, by the processor, an electrical eventat a location on the electrical grid; sending, by the processor, anotification message comprising presence information of the electricalevent, through the network to a presence server; receiving, by theprocessor, a command message comprising at least one action to take inresponse to the electrical event; and performing, by the processor, theat least one action to take.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein: theelectrical event comprises one of an electrical fault and an abnormalcondition at the location, and the at least one action to take comprisesisolating the electrical event at the location; sending the registermessage comprises sending a SIP message to a SIP registrar; and sendingthe notification message comprises sending a SIP notify message to thepresence server.
 14. The method of claim 12, wherein the command messageinstructs at least one switch to one of open and close.
 15. The methodof claim 14, wherein the command message comprises a SIP-based aservices restoration command message that instructs the at least onecircuit breaker to open or close to allow restoration of power tocustomers.